Free The Commander by CJ Williams Page A

at Moonbase. When the last passenger exited the hangar into the corridors, Luke looked across the aisle at Annie and let out a big sigh. “Man, I hope they all go that smoothly.”

Day 215—Population 1,012
    Luke smiled inwardly at the irony. I thought I left all this behind me. It was strange to be running a staff meeting again, especially on the moon. In the last month much had changed.
    His fear of a general unease amongst the newcomers after the newness wore off had not materialized. In fact, quite the opposite. The level of excitement was as high as ever.
    “What have you got for me, Brandon?” Luke asked of his personnel chief.
    “Nothing major. I’d recommend we get a few more physician’s assistants. That would give us twenty-four-hour ER capability.”
    “Got it.” Luke nodded. “I think that’s already in the works. What else?”
    “As I mentioned last week, I had a couple of families ask about extending their contracts; that’s the Middletons and the Witts. Both have children, and I think they want their kids to grow up in our loonie lifestyle.”
    “I remember. We agreed that was a good thing, right? Did you tell them okay?”
    “I did, and they must have told their friends because this week I got another fifty-three requests for the same thing. People love this place. I don’t know if it’s the excitement of being part of something important, or what.”
    Daniel Perez, Moonbase security director, sheepishly raised his hand.
    “Go ahead, Dan,” Luke prompted.
    Perez grinned. “Let me admit that I was one of the fifty-three.” He looked around the table and spread his hands in apology. “I didn’t realize I was part of a movement. But I can offer some background on why, for what it’s worth.”
    “Tell me,” Luke said. “I’d like to get your input.”
    “It’s several things. First, no money worries. I’ve been amazed at how liberating that is. You guys know me. I had a great job in Denver. Chief of police, six-figure salary. House was almost paid for. I mean, I didn’t have any money problems. But it’s always there in the back of your mind, you know? Kid’s college, medical bills, senior care for the in-laws, you name it. No matter how much you make, you always feel you’re on the edge of a precipice; at least I did. Here, those problems don’t exist. Once we go public, I’m gonna try to get my parents up here. In-laws too.”
    Brandon smiled and spoke again. “Well, full disclosure, I guess. Once those couples put in their application, I filled out one too.” He grinned at Perez. “I wasn’t going to name any names, but since you ’fessed up, let me say I agree. This is a new kind of society. I don’t think there’s been anything like it in the history of mankind. My boy went crazy with the replicator the first week. He got so much stuff I could barely get in his bedroom. He filled it with all the junk we would never buy. After a week or so, the light bulb sort of went on. All of a sudden he just got it, he doesn’t have to want stuff anymore. He recycled all the junk and now he’s much calmer. He focuses on one thing at a time instead of worrying he’ll miss something.”
    Luke looked at his staff. “I have to say, I don’t think this is a bad thing. You know my plans. I want to keep growing Moonbase into a major self-sustaining city. Next week our recruitment is going up another notch to three shuttles a week. If that works, I’m kicking it up to four.”
    Ambrose nodded at the group. “We’ll be ready. I’ve got fifty people building new residential units. And you told me we’re getting more on the next two arrivals.”
    “That correct. Annie promised she’s nailed that down with NexGen Recruiting. You’ll get a few new contractors every week from here on. The problem is we’re still growing too slowly. I can’t believe it’s been seven months since this project started. What’s the population now?”
    Luke’s comment provoked exclamations from